How To Get Free HDTV

First point:
You can receive digital TV and high-definition programming with a normal set-top or roof antenna via free over-the-air HDTV signals i.e. you don’t need a pay-TV service at all.

Even better, the quality from the free over-the-air signal will be better than you can get from cable or satellite providers, because the signal is not as compressed.

Digital signals are available right now and you just need an antenna to receive them. When a digital program is broadcast in high definition, like many prime-time shows are, you’ll have excellent picture quality.

Second Point:
You will need an HDTV with an “ATSC tuner,” - the good news us all new TVs have one of these.

Third Point:
You will need an appropriate antenna. To find a suitable antenna, go online to http://www.antennaweb.org and follow the link, “Choose an antenna.”

Once you’ve set up the antenna, you’ll be able to pull in broadcast stations such as PBS, Fox and NBC, but not cable stations such as ESPN or the Food Network. You’ll have to pay a cable or satellite provider for those.

Here is a second way to get high-definition programming, along with answers to some reader questions.

How To Get HDTV With A Basic Cable Package

You can also obtain HDTV with the most basic cable TV package and no cable box.

For this you’ll need a high-definition television with a quadrature amplitude modulation, or QAM, tuner.

Many new TVs have a QAM tuner - your TV’s instruction manual should indicate whether it does or not. If it doesn’t you can also buy a stand-alone QAM tuner.

You’ll also need a cable TV package, even if it’s the cheapest broadcast-only offering.

1. Screw the coaxial cable directly into your TV.
2. Then go into your HDTV setup menu. For the source of the signal, select something like “digital cable” or DTV.
3. Then force your TV to automatically search for channels.
4. When it’s done, scroll through the channels.

With digital TV channels, you’ll find multiple subchannels under the same number, labeled something like 87-2. The digital channels should look noticeably better and when a digital program is being broadcast in high-definition, it will fill the elongated screen of your HDTV and look really clear.

The channels will probably have strange-looking names with lots of numbers in them, but your TV should allow you to change the on-screen label to something meaningful e.g. ABC, CBS, CW and so on.

How is this useful?
If you use your HDTV in say the bedroom for limited TV watching and you don’t want to avoid paying for another HD cable box, you can use this method to obtain broadcast digital and HD channels.

Or, if you don’t want to mess with an antennaand you only need the broadcast channels you can pay for the lowest level of non-digital cable TV service and still receive digital and HD broadcasts.

An extra benefit is that in some markets you’ll receive multiple networks from different cities, which allows you to view more local news or sports events than you would otherwise see.

Caveats:
1. You will mostly get broadcast channels, meaning no high-def ESPN or Discovery Channel because those channels are encrypted and not accessible with the QAM tuner.
2. You also won’t get an interactive TV schedule grid, and you won’t be able to pull up on-demand content.
3. Your QAM tuner won’t work with satellite TV signals.

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